Battery-tongs.



M. MELIA.

BATTERY TON GS. A PLICATION FILED MAR. 191 1915.

Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN MRLIA, or rfiILADELPfilA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 'ro COMMERCIAL.TBUCK CoMP'ANY or AMERICA, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A son,-

PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

BATTERY-TONGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 20, 191 '7.

Application filed March 19, 1915. Serial No. 15,555.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN MELIA, a citizen of the United States,residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented Bat tery-Tongs, ofwhich the following is a specification.

One object of my invention 1s to provide a device particularly designedfor conveniently gripping and transporting the assembled elements ofsecondary battery cells; the invention contemplating means whereby themass of plates and separators belonging to a single cell may belaterally compressed to any desired extent to permit of its easy andquick introduction into the jar or container to which it belongs.

I also desire to provide a simple, light and inexpensive tongs which inaddition to the above noted features, shall include means whereby it maybe quickly adjusted to vary the working distance between the faces ofits jaws.

These objects and other advantageous ends I secure as hereinafter setforth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a battery tongs constructed accordingto my invention, the movable handle and its associated parts being inthe positions occupied when the tongs is gripping a set of batteryplates;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the movable handle and itsassociated parts showing these in the positions occupied when the objectengaged by the jaws is released; and

Fig. 3 is a plan, partly in section, illustrating the parts shown inFig. 2.

In the above drawings, 1 represents a U- or-C-shaped frame which may beeither a casting, a forging or a body of plate material and which may bein a single piece or built up as desired. At the end of one of its armsthis frame is provided with a perforated enlargement or boss 2 throughwhich loosely passes a threaded bar 3 having attached to one end a flatmetallic plate 4 which in the case illustrated is shown as rectangularin outline. This bar has on either side of the boss jam nuts 5 whichmaybe backed off or set up in order to rigidly hold it to the frame 1with its plate or jaw carrying end in any desired position relativelythereto. It is noted that this bar extends in a line substantially atright angles to the line.

of the arm or portion of the frame in which it is mounted and its plate4 has fixed to it in any suitable manner a block 6 usually of hard wood,which with it constitutes the fixed jaw of the tongs. This same arm ofthe frame 1 has fixed to its upper portion a handle 7 in the form of abar whose extremity is bent away from the frame and is given the form ofa flattened ellipse 'in order that it may constitute a convenienthand-hold.

The extremity of the second arm of the frame 1 is inclined outwardly asindicated at 8 and terminates in an extension 9 preferably projecting inthe general line of the bar 3 with its inner and outer ends bent atright angles to form lugs 10 and 11 for the reception of a secondjaw-bar 12 which is free to slide in suitable openings therein. That endof said bar adjacent the jaw 46 has fixed to it a plate 13 which in turncarries a wooden block 14 lying substantially parallel with the block 6.The outer end of the bar 12 beyond the lug 11 of the frame is threadedfor the reception of a nut 15, while at a suitable point of its lengthit has projecting from it a bolt or pin 16 which extends through anelongated slot 9 in the part 9 of the frame. This bolt is shown in thepresent instance as headed and serving as a pivot for the reception ofone end of a link 17 whose opposite end is pivoted by a bolt 18 to theshort arm 19 of a lever 20 constituting the actuating or movable handleof the device. This lever is fulcrumed or pivoted to the part 9 of theframe by a bolt 21. and its long arm extends upwardly so that its upperend is approximately at the same distance above the jaws as is the endof the handle 7. The upper extremity of this long arm 22 of the movablehandle is likewise given the form of a flattened ellipse so that itconstitutees a secable jaw 1314, which When first gripped the plates areengaged fat I connected by the bolts 25.

when said toggle is broken, occupies the position shown in Fig. 2 inwhich itis separated from the jaw 4-6 a maximum distance.

In placing the'sets of secondary battery plates and separators in theircells it is usually the case that the combined thickness of themass isgreater than the width of the jar or container into which they have tobe placed, and heretofore much difficulty has been experienced inassembling them owing to the difficulty and inconvenience of compressing them sufficiently to allow of their introduction.

With my invention however, the set of plates and separators belongingto'a given cell is gripped by the jaws and forced together or compressedto any desired extent -depending upon the distance between said jaws andthe proportions of the toggle.

as indicated in Fig. 1, some distance above their lower ends so thatwhen they are coinpressed by the drawing of the lever 20 toward thehandle 7, it is possible to easily introduce the said lower ends intothe battery jar. The lever 20 may now be moved to a position to breakthe toggle 1719 and release the plates when the device may again becaused to clamp the set of plates higher up. The latter may now be stillfurther forced into the battery cell and this oper-' ation is repeatedas many times as necessary in order to force the elements and separatorsfully into the jar.

The jaw bar 3 may obviously be adjusted by means of its jam nuts 5 tocause the jaw 4-6 to properly cooperate with the jaw 13-14 to suit thetongs for handling masses of battery elements of widely varyingthicknesses, it being noted that the lever arm 20 may be so mounted asto engage the frame 1 in order'that it may not move too far after thetoggle members 17 and 19 have been brought to an alined positionnecessary to cause the jaws to grip or clamp an object, although othermeans such as the nut 15 may be employed for this purpose withoutdepartin from my invention.

Whi e the above described device is particularly adapted for use inintroducing sets of battery elements into their jars and fortransporting masses of elements from place to place, it is to beunderstood that it is likewise adapted for use as a clamp for holdingtogether or gripping objects for other purposes than those noted, thejaws being shaped and the frame being proportionedto suit it to the workfor which it is employed.

If it is desired to obtain greater adjustment of the frame than can besecured by means of the nuts 5 on the bar 3, said frame may be made intwo overlapping sections These portions of the frame are provided withany desired number of bolt holes 26 and as they are parmay be rigidlyconfor forcibly moving said jaw toward t e second jaw, said arm having aportion formed as a carrying handle. 7

2. A battery tongs consisting of a U- shaped frame of which the end ofone of the arms is laterally extended; a bar. slidably guided in saidend extension; a jaw carried by said bar; a second jaw carried by theother arm of the frame; with means for forcibly moving said bar with itsjaw toward the other jaw and thereafter holding it in a. .clampingposition.

3. A battery tongs consisting of a U- shaped frame of which the end ofone of the arms is laterally extended; a bar slidably guided in said endextension; a jaw carried by said bar; asecondjaw carried by the otherarm of the frame; members constitut- ,ing a toggle mounted on the frameand opany .of a number'of frame; a second bar slidably mounted in theend of' the second arm of the frame; jaws respectively mounted on saidbars; and means for forcibly moving the second bar into and locking itin a given position.

5. A battery tongs consisting of a substantially U-shaped frame havingthe end of one of its arms laterally extended and provided withprojecting lugs; a bar slidable in' openings in said lugs; a second barmounted at the end of the other arm of the frame; two blocks formingclamping jaws and res ectively mounted on said bars; with means ibrforcibly moving the first of said bars with its jaw toward the otherjaw.

6. A battery tongs consisting of a substantially U-shaped frame; 9. arslidably mounted adjacent the end of one of the arms of said frame; ajaw carried by said bar; a second jaw carried by the second arm of theframe; alink pivoted to said bar; anda lever pivoted to the first arm ofthe frame and also pivoted to said link, for forcibly moving the firstjaw toward the second jaw.

7. A battery tongs consisting of a substantially U-shaped frame; acarrying handle fixed thereto; a pair of jaws respectively mounted onthe ends of the arms of said frame; and means including a secondcarrying handle pivoted to the frame for actuatingone of said jaws tomove it toward shaped frame; jaws mounted respectively adjacent the endsof the arms of said frame, one of said jaws being slidable toward andfrom the other; with means including a pivotally mounted handle forforcibly actuating and locking said first jaw in a gripping 10 position.

In testimony whereof, I haye signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARTIN MELIA.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM E. BRADLEY, Jos. H. KLEIN.

